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No.  113. 

THE  SWEARING  DRUNKARD  SOLDIER 
CONVERTED. 


Stephen  Roberts  was  born  in  the  year  1793,  at  Wick- 
bury,  near  Fording  Bridge,  Hampshire,  where  he  fol- 
lowed the  laboring  line  until  his  twenty-fourth  .year. 
His  parents  save  him  no  learning,  for  lie  did  not  know 
the  alphabet  before  his  conversion.  Being  brought  up 
in  perfect  ignorance  of  the  ways  of  God,  he  neglected 
his  own  soul,  and  openly  walked  according  to  the  course 
of  thin  world,  walking  in  the  paths  of  vice  with  impu- 
nity, loving  the  creature,  and  neglecting  the  Creator, 
"God  blessed  for  evermore." 

He  enlisted  into  the  regiment  on  the  5th  June, 

1817,  at  Gloucester,  and  in  the  year  1818  he  arrived  at 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  where  he  gave  himself  up  to 
all  kinds  of  wickedness,  and  became  a  complete  votary 
of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  living  truly  with- 
out hope,  and  without  God  in  the  world.  The  promi- 
nent features  of  his  character  at  this  time  were  swearing 
and  drunkenness;   these  were  his  besetting  sins. 

The  oaths  which  issued  from  his  profane  lips  were 
dreadful,  and  shocking  to  those  not  accustomed  to  such 
expressions.  To  every  assertion  he  uttered,  whether  it 
were  truth  or  falsehood,  he  generally  affixed  the  sacred 


*A  THE   SWEARING   DRUNKARD   SOLDIER  CONVERTED. 

name  of  God  to  confirm  it.  His  mind  being  darkened, 
his  heart  hardened,  and  his  soul  alienated,  instead 
of  serving  and  obeying  God,  and  paying  the  highest 
reverence  to  his  sacred  name,  it  was  his  constant  prac- 
tice and  pleas'ure  to  blaspheme  it  and  use  it  with  levity. 
This  evil  result  of  his  dissipated  life  was  never  more 
visible  than  when  irritated,  for  he  was  very  passionate; 
then  a  whole  train  of  the  most  obscene  imprecations 
would  flow  from  his  mouth  ;  the  violation  of  the  third 
commandment' was  nothing  to  him. 

Drunkenness  was  the  other  characteristic  mark  of 
his  wicked  life.  It  is  said  that  he  has  been  in  tins 
awful  state  three  and  four  days  successively,  and  that 
very  frequently.  I  have  heard  himself  say  that  once, 
when  in  this  degraded  state,  lie  committed  a  heinous 
sin,  a  sin  which  he  never  after  his  conversion  spoke  of 
but  with  shame  :  he  permitted  himself  to  be  laid  out 
as  a  corpse,  stretched  on  a  cot,  and  carried  round  the 
barracks  by  his  dissipated  associates,  while  they  played 
the  dead  march.  In  this  abandoned  state  he  lived 
until  his  twenty-ninth  year,  without  any  desire  of  ref- 
ormation, though  sometimes  under  great  convictions, 
for  he  often  said,  that,  in  his  sober  moments,  awful 
reflections  would  terrify  his  guilty  soul,  and  that  when 
any  person  died  he  would  pass  sentence  on  the  individ- 
ual, saying,  if  that  person  had  lived  a  pious  life  his 
spirit  now  would  have  been  happy  in  heaven.  These 
convictions,  though  often  drowned  by  sin,  ended  in  his 
conversion,  for  when  the  appointed  time  of  the  Lord 
was  corne,  the  Eternal  Spirit  convinced  him  of  his  sin 
and  danger,   "  to  the  praise  of  redeeming  mercy." 

To  appearance,  he  was  one  of  the  last  persons  whose 
heart  we  could  have  expected  would  be  changed,  but 
that   which   is    impossible   with    man   is   possible    with 


THE  SWEARING  DRUNKARD  SOLDIER  CONVERTED.  3 

God.  Such  is  his  divine  will  and  mercy  that  he  often 
passes  by  those  who  are  apparently  not  far  from  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  chooses  some  of  the  lowest  and 
most  debased,  and  makes  them  signal  monuments  of 
his  free,  unmerited  grace,  and  of  the  sanctifying  power 
of  his  blessed  Spirit.  Such  was  the  display  of  his 
spontaneous  love  toward  the  subject  of  this  narrative, 
for  there  was  nothing  in  him  which  could  possibly 
merit  the  divine  favor,  but  the  reverse.  And  the  happy 
change  must  be  solely  ascribed  to  the  u  praise  of  the 
glory  of  his  grace,  wherein  he  hath  made  him  accepted 
in  the  Beloved." 

He  arrived  in  Bengal  in  1822,  and  proceeded  to  Ber- 
hampore,  where  a  religious  society  was  formed,  and,  by 
the  frequent  solicitations  of  a  pious  soldier,  Enoch  Cole- 
man, of  the  same  company  (who  afterward  became  his 
comrade)  he  was  prevailed  on  to  attend  the  chapel.  It 
was  not  in  vain,  for  then,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life, 
he  bent  the  knee  at  the  footstool  of  mercy,  where  the 
sunshine  of  grace  beamed  on  his  soul,  and  the  rays  of 
divine  love  softened  his  impenitent  heart.  The  Spirit 
of  God  operated  effectually  to  the  regeneration  of  his 
heart,  and  filled  him  with  most  poignant  sorrow  for  his 
complicated  sins,  the  remembrance  of  which  was  griev- 
ous, and  a  burden  intolerable  for  him  to  bear.  Now 
the  breath  of  prayer  incessantly  ascended  from  his 
weary  and  heavy-laden  soul,  his  convictions  were  great 
and  many,  often  has  he  been  amazed  at  the  infinite 
mercy,  and  long-sufFering  patience  of  Jehovah,  exer- 
cised toward  him  in  not  plunging  him  into  the  horrors 
of  the  nethermost  pit  of  perdition,  he  began  to  feel  that 
it  is  a  bitter  and  evil  thing  to  sin  against  the  Lord,  and 
daily  without  intermission.  He  would  with  fervency 
invoke    the   God    of   mercy  to    forgive    a  rebel  sinner, 


4  THE   SWEARING   DRUNKARD   SOLDIER  CONVERTED. 

through  the  invaluable  atonement  of  the  Saviour.-  His 
language  was  that  of  a  man  who  saw  himself  con- 
demned, and  he  continued  a  length  of  time  under  the 
awful  apprehension  of  the  wrath  of  God  being  ready  to 
be  poured  out  upon  him.  Thus  he  continued  burdened, 
until,  through  the  preaching  of  the  word,  he  was  drawn 
by  a  living  faith  to  lay  hold  on  Jesus,  the  sinner's  hope, 
and  received  consolation  in  believing;  "forbeing  justi- 
fied by  faith  he  found  peace  with  God,  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."  He  applied  to  that  fountain  which 
is  open  for  sin  and  uncleanness,  and  that  precious  blood 
which  satisfies  divine  justice,  appeases  wrath,  recon- 
ciles man  to  God,  expiates  guilt,  and  cleanseth  from  all 
sin.  He  felt  the  love  of  God,  and  his  goodness  in  giv- 
ing Christ  to  die  for  him  ;  he  experienced  that  love 
wherewith  Christ  loved  him,  and  saw  the  willingness  of 
God  to  save  returning  sinners.  Now  he  could  say  of  a 
truth,  "  It  is  a  faithful  saying,  that  Jesus  Christ  came 
into  the  world  to  save  sinners/'  of  whom  he  felt  himself 
the  chief:     The  language  of  his  heart  was  : 

"  I  ihe  chief  of  sinners  am. 
But  Jesus  died  for  me." 

In  a  short  time  he  became  a  member  of  the  Christian 
society,  and  continued  a  consistent  and  exemplary  or- 
nament to  the  same,  reflecting  the  light  of  divine  grace, 
which  shone  conspicuously  through  his  life  and  conver- 
sation. 

Sincerity  from  the  commencement  of  his  religious 
career  unto  the  end  shone  with  a  resplendent  lustre. 
It  might  have  been  truly  said  of  him:  4<  Behold  an 
Israelite,  indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile."  All  his  actions 
were  sincere  and  disinterested,  springing  from  the  pure 
fountain  of  a  Saviour's  love,  and  for  the  period  of  eleven 


THE   SWEARING  DRUNKARD  SOLDIER  CONVERTED.  5 

years  in  the  sincerity  of  his  heart  he  served  God,  and 
as  soon  as  he  began  to  serve  God,  he- stood  in  the  midst 
of  the  barrack-room,  and  decidedly  told  his  former 
wicked  companions  that  he  would  not  associate  with 
them  any  more  This  promise  by  grace  lie  kept.  Often 
have  they  endeavored  to  lead  him  into  sin,  but  their 
efforts  were  in  vain;  he  kept  the  wise  man's  admonition 
in  mind  :   "  If  sinners  entice  thee,  consent  thou  not." 

His  spirit  of  piety  was  steady  and  persevering,  he 
constantly  pressed  forward,  and  during  the  arduous 
expedition  against  the  Burman  Empire,  in  1824,  1825, 
and  part  of  1820,  where  many  were  the  trials,  suffer- 
ings, and  temptations  he  was  called  to  endure,  he,  like  a 
good  soldier  of  the  Cross,  was  enabled  to  overcome  them, 
and  while  many  around  him  drew  back  he  continued 
firm  and  loyal,  always  watchful,  both  in  season  and  out 
of  season. 

Repentance  was  also  a  prominent  feature  of  his  Chris- 
tian character  ;  all  the  essential  ingredients  of  gospel 
repentance,  such  as  conviction  of  sin,  contrition  for  sin, 
confession  of  sin,  and  conversion  from  sin,  were  com- 
bined in  his  life;  he  daily  bewailed  the  wanderings  of 
his  heart,  and  the  evil  propensities  and  infirmities  of  his 
fallen  nature. 

His  faith,  hope,  and  charity  were  of  a  purely  gospel 
kind.  His  faith  by  times  was  exceedingly  vivid,  though 
frequently  his  hope  was  weak,  still  he  retained  that 
hope  which  maketh  not  ashamed,  and  that  faith  which 
purified  his  heart  from  the  love  of  sin.  He  Joved  and 
respected  the  household  of  faith,  and  they  who  love 
most  the  image  of  Christ  were  his  peculiar  company; 
he  was  also  liberal,  according  to  his  circumstances;  he 
contributed  to  the  Bible  Society,  and  always  gave  his 
mite  to  every  Christian  purpose. 


6  THE   SWEARING  DRUNKARD  SOLDIER  CONVERTED. 

He  regularly  and  punctually  attended  divine  wor- 
ship, and  there  poured  out  his  soul's  desire  to  him  who 
hath  said,  "seek  and  ye  shall  find."  Secret  prayer 
was  his  delight,  every  means  of  grace  was  a  Bethel  to 
his  soul,  and  he  experienced  with  the  poet,  that 

"Prayer  ardent  opens  heaven,  lets  down  a  stream 
Of  glory  on  the  consecrated  hour 
Of  man  in  audience  with  the  Deity" 

He  was  an  attentive  reader  of  the  Scripture.  He 
daily  read  its  sacred  pages,  and  treasured  its  contents 
in  his  heart;  he  constantly  aimed  at  practising  its  pre- 
cepts and  commands,  knowing  that  Christ  left  us  an 
example,  that  we  should  follow  his  steps.  His  other 
books  were  fttWj  and,  next  to  the  Bible,  Dr.  Doddridge's 
Rise  and  Progress  of  Religion  was  his  favorite ;  he 
often  read  it  with  delight,  and  endeavored  to  experience 
its  contents.  In  conversation  he  was  botli  simple  and 
heavenly,  he  was  in  many  respects  a  burning  and  a 
shining  light  in  religion. 

Soldiers  frequently  say  that  they  cannot  serve  God, 
because  they  are  surrounded  with  so  many  temptations 
and  trials,  but  he  not  only  served  God  in  spirit  and  in 
truth,  but  he  endeavored,  and  was  enabled  in  sincerity 
to  fulfil  that  Scripture  :  u  Let  your  light  so  shine  before 
men,  that  they  may  see  your  good  works  and  glorify 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 

On  the  3d  July,  1833,  he  felt  unwell,  but  could  not 
account  for  ii  ;  he  still  attended  his  usual  duties,  and 
in  the  evening  he  read  the  11th  and  12th  chapters  of 
Mark,  and  went  to  prayer  with  a  member  of  the  society. 
After  prayer  he  spoke  freely  and  long  upon  the  love  of 
Jesus,  and  the  bright  prospects  of  the  eternal  world  ; 
but  that  niffht  about  twelve  o'clock  he  was  seized  with 


THE   SWEARING  DRUNKARD  SOLDIER  CONVERTED.  7 

cholera,  and  was  taken  into  the  hospital.  I  visited  him, 
and  when  lie  saw  rne,  with  his  usual  smile,  he  said, 
"my  poor  tabernacle  is  going."  I  replied,  '«  fear  not, 
soon  your  race  will  be  finished,  and  a  crown  of  glory 
awaits  you."  He  pressed  my  hand  as  a  token  of  the 
truth  of  what  I  asserted,  for  he  could  not  speak  at  that 
moment,  through  the  excessive  pain  of  the  disease. 
He  lingered  for  a  few  hours,  and  at  intervals  called 
on  his  blessed  Saviour,  saying:  "Come  Lord  Jesus; 
come  Lord  Jesus  ;  have  mercy  on  me.  I  feel  very  easy. 
Soon  all  my  trials  will  be  over."  On  the  morning  of 
4th  July,  1833,  in  the  fortieth  year  of  his  age,  his  happy 
spirit,  in  the  steadfast  assurance  of  faitli  in  Christ,  and 
with  a  hope  full  of  immortality,  took  its  flight  to  that 
rest  which  remains  for  the  people  of  God. 


PUBLISHED    BY    THE    SOUTH    CAROLINA    TRACT    SOCIETY. 

Printed  by  Erans  k  Cogswell,  No.  3  Broad  street,  Charleston,  S.  C. 


LIST  OF   TRACTS 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  SOUTH  CAROLINA  TRACT  SOCIETY. 


No.  of  Number 

Tract.  of  pages 

l...Am  I  Self-Deceived 4 

2...H.ve  You ? 12 

3.. .The  Sinner's  Friend 90 

4. ..The  Act  of  Faith 4 

6... What  is  it  to  Believe  on  Christ  P.'.  4 
C...  Dialogue  Between  the  Bible  and  a 

Sinner 4 

7... Self-Dedication  to  God 4 

8... Why  Do  We  Sit  Still? 4 

9. ..Ye  Shall  Not  Surely  Die 4 

10... A  Convenient  Season 4 

11. ..The  Bible  the  Word  of  God 4 

12... Three  Words 4 

13...  A  Word  of  Warning 4 

14. ..Grieving  the  Spirit  of  God 4 

15... Hinder  Me  Not 4 

16.. .The  Soldier's  Pocket  Bible 10 

17... I  Don't  Like  Professions 4 

IS. ..The  Bible  in  my  Trunk 4 

19. ..How  to  Dispose  of  Care 4 

20. ..The  Way  of  Peace 8 

21. ..Quench  Not  the  Spirit  4 

22... Fatal  Delusions 4 

23. ..The  Sword  of  the  Spirit 4 

24... Procrastination   4 

25. ..The  .Missionary's  Nephew 4 

26... Lost  Convictions 4 

27. ..Profane  Swearing 4 

28. ..Obstacles  to  Conversion 4 

29. ..The  Spirit  Grieved 4 

30. ..Counsel  to  the  Convicted 4 

31. ..Every  Man  the  Friend  or  the  En- 
emy of  Christ 4 

32. ..The  Soldier's  Victory . 8 

33. ..The  Wrath  to  Come 4 

34... What  Are  You  Fit  For? 8 

35. ..Christ  a  Covert  from  the  Tempest  8 

36.. .The  Christian  Traveller 8 

37. ..Napoleon's  Argument  for  the  Di- 
vinity of  Christ  anu  the  Scrip- 
tures..:   8 

38... I  Can't  Make  Myself  Different 8 

39. ..The  Sinner  his  own  Destroyer 8 

40. ..The  Infidel's  Creed .* 8 

41. ..Alarm  to  the  Careless 8 

42. ..True  Conversion 8 

43...The.Christian  Officer 8 

44... Our  War,   Our   Cause,  and    Our 

Duty   16 

45. ..The  Crimean  Hero:  the  late  Capt. 

Vicars 12 

46... The  Muffled  Drum 8 

47. ..How  Do  You  Bear  Your  Trials?...  8 
48... How  Long  Have  You  Been  Sick?..12 
49 ...Soldier!  Do  you  Believe  the  Bible  4 

50. ..The  Long  Roll 4 

51...  Mortally  Wounded 8 

52. ..The  Sailor  Lost  and  Found 8 

53. ..Captain  Deverell;  or,  From  Dark- 
ness  to   Light 12 

64...  A  Word  from  the  Ladies  of  the 
Soldiers'  Relief  Association  of 
Charleston  to  the  Soldier 4 


No.  of  Number 

Tract.  of  pagei 

55. ..Colonel  Gardiner — as  a   Man,  a 

Christian,  and  a  Soldier 24 

56. ..The  Railway  Guide  16 

57. ..The  Confederate  Hero,  and   his 

Patriotic  Father 16 

58. ..The  Sailor's  Home 8 

69. ..Kind  Words  to  a  Wounded  Sol- 
dier    3 

60. ..The  Eventful  Twelve  Hours;  or. 
The  Destitution  and  Wretch- 
edness of  the  Drunkard 16 

61. ..The  Dying  Robber 8 

62... Do  You  Pray  iu  Secret? 4 

63. ..Do  You  Enjoy  Religion? 4 

64... I  've  Never  Thought  of  DyiDg  So  4 

86...  Why  Sit  Ye  Here  Hie? 4 

66. ..Come  and  Welcome 12 

67. ..The  Silly  Fisn 4 

68... Why  Yet  Impenitent? 4 

69... Who  Slew  All  These? 4 

70. ..The  Navy  Surgeon 12 

71...  A  True  Story  of  Lucknow 8 

72. ..The  Sailor  and  the  Soldier 8 

73. ..Are  You  Not  Afraid  to  Die  ? 4 

74... The  Wonderful  Kscape 4 

75. ..The  Two  Soldiers 4 

76... Where  Are  You  Going? 6 

77. ..The  Young  Officer's  Start  in  Life.  8 

78... Show  Me  Myself — 

79. ..Divine  Grace  Illustrated 4 

80. ..The  Christian  Soldier 8 

81. ...Mustered  iuto  Service 8 

82... Lieutenant   R. ;    or,    The  Tract 

Read  in  the  Theatre 8 

83... Do  Thyself  No  Harm 4 

84...  Appeal  to  the  Youth,  and  espe- 
cially to  the  Soldiers  of  the 

Confederate  States 16 

85...  Very  Short  and  Very  Long,  and 

The  Strict  Search .7 8 

86.. .The  Fatal  Mistake;  or,  The  Mid- 
night Shipwreck 4 

87. ..The  Day  of  Trial.....* 4 

88... My  Time  is  But  a  Day 4 

89... The  Substance  of  the  Gospel 4 

90... Noah's  Carpenters 4 

91. ..Come  and  Rest 4 

92...  A  Patriotic  Sermon 4 

93... Discharged — I  am  Going  Home..  4 
94...  Anecdotes  for  the  SoldierB,  No.  1..24 
95...  Anecdotes  for  the  Soldiers,  No.  2..24 
96.. .A  Kind  Word  to  the  Officers  of 

our  Army 4 

97... Soldiers  in    Hospital;   or,  Come 

to  Christ 4 

98. ..The  Old  Soldier 4 

99...  A  Letter  to  a  Son  in  Cams 4 

100. ..The  Colonel's  Conversion  —  A 
Chief  of  Sinners  made  a  Chief 

of  Saints  24 

101. ..The  Muster 4 

102. ..The  Guard-House.....  4 

103...  An  Appeal  to  Young  Soldiers 8 


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